Memories of my younger years...

It's still amazing to me that strangers from all over the country live together and get along! I remember quite a bit from my college days and only the happy/fun memories have stayed! I hope it is the same for you guys, too! I'm glad that we're still in touch and that I can still call you my friends! (D-Lyn, I can't find any pics with you, grrr...)

I was so flattered when my roommate and her fiance chose to go to MORP dressed as me! I'm still annoyed that they wouldn't give me their t-shirts, though, after the dance! Did you guys ever wear those again? Ricks College 1992, Dorm 5Hee Hee--check out the Richard Marx shirts! When Care and I saw that Heather had the same silly shirt, we knew we'd be instant friends! Remember the Taco Bell and Dairy Queen signs that magically appeared on that window behind us!! Should we still feel bad for taking them?? Ricks 1992
The year of dancing...I don't remember too many memories that did not center around the Galleria! We were awesome! Would I wear something like this now? Hmmm...I wonder...We were so care-free then! I wonder if Suzy remembers that the shoes she wore with this dress were red hot cowgirl boots! Birch #106 Rocks the Plaza! 93'-94'
Todd, Peanut,...What a crazy group! I'm thinking we look too "sweet" in this picture! Was it because it was an "official" Ricks dance? I wish I had more pictures from college! Too bad digital wasn't around then! Ricks Preference 1993

My names "secret" meaning!

Some of this I would argue, but it is pretty spot on! How did they know?! And what I don't agree with now, definetly applied to my pre-married life!

What Andrea Means

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are balanced, orderly, and organized. You like your ducks in a row. You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace. People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

"I had a baby today."

5:30 am--"Andrea, I just wanted to let you know that I have a kidney stone."

I love waking up to that! I really didn't know what to do. I offered my condolences and told him that Tylenol with codeine was in the closet (this was left over from having the babe, I almost threw it away yesterday, but decided to keep it--"just in case"). Two years ago, Rob had a kidney stone. I'd never seen him so miserable. I took him to the ER, just because I couldn't bear to see him in so much pain. Once it passed, he was perfectly fine. This time he seemed a little more "chipper" so I went back to bed. Feeling guilty for doing that, I got up to see what I could do to help. I got him some water and snapped a few pics to share with you all!

Rob passed the stone around 7 am and was off to work by 8:30. Such a trooper. I would have used the excuse to have a "sick day." That's where our differences lie. He's a hard worker. I'm lazy!

I told the boys what happened to Daddy and Rob said, "I had a baby today." Don't you hate when they try to compare a little tiny stone to a 10 lb. + baby!? No contest, Rob! I win!

The Great Financial Fast

Why would anyone want to deprive themselves of spending any money for an entire week?? Well, that's what we've been trying to do. I don't remember where I got the crazy idea (Oprah or a magazine, something like that), but Rob surprisingly was on board. Secretly, I think he was chuckling in his head, "Yeah right, Andrea. You not spend any money for an entire week." Let me tell you, it has been hard! (But I'll probably do it again next month.) We started our "fast" on Friday--no spending money for anything! It took a lot of prep--we had to be careful with the previous weeks money to make sure we had enough at the end of the week for grocery shopping, fill up on gas, put money aside for Anna's co-pay for a previously scheduled Dr. visit, close my eyes to any winter clearance sales (Children's Place, Old Navy, Kohls--this has been the hardest),...We even got the kids on board--no buying lunches or eating all the snacks in the house in two days,...

I decided that this would be our best way to "save" money to fix up and add to our house. We have several other accounts holding our "savings" for vacations, the future or an emergency, but nothing for updating our house. This is the bookshelf we plan on getting (this Saturday--I can't wait to shop!) if we make it the rest of the week (until Thursday night--only 3 more days)! It's going to go against the tall empty wall in our family room.
Unfortunately, I had to spend some money today, so we won't be able to get a recliner chair also to go in the family room. But because it was for my child's health, I'm willing to sacrifice! Evan came down with a nasty cough. I thought it was nothing big, but he started to get really wheezy. We were out of his Albuteral, so had to take him into the Dr. Turns out he has Bronchitis. Poor guy. Hopefully the antibiotic will kick in quickly. Evan loves his nebulizer, so that won't be a problem!
I will be willing to do this again. I'm hoping to abandon that need to spend. It hasn't worked, yet, so I think I'll need another financial fast or two to help me work through it!

Evan's hypochondroplasia story

This may be boring to some, but I started this blog to document our life and I haven't recorded this event anywhere, I'm home sick with a "migraine hangover" and nothing else to do, so here goes...may be kind of long, so pass it by if you're not interested...

Our son Evan has hypochondroplasia.

What is hypochondroplasia?

Hypochondroplasia is a form of short-limbed dwarfism. This condition affects the conversion of cartilage into bone (a process called ossification), particularly in the long bones of the arms and legs. Hypochondroplasia is similar to another skeletal disorder called achondroplasia, but the features tend to be milder.

All people with hypochondroplasia have short stature. The adult height for men with this condition ranges from 138 centimeters to 165 centimeters (4 feet, 6 inches to 5 feet, 5 inches). The height range for adult women is 128 centimeters to 151 centimeters (4 feet, 2 inches to 4 feet, 11 inches).

People with hypochondroplasia have short arms and legs and broad, short hands and feet. Other characteristic features include a large head, limited range of motion at the elbows, a sway of the lower back (lordosis), and bowed legs. These signs are generally less pronounced than those seen with achondroplasia and may not be noticeable until early or middle childhood. Some studies have reported that a small percentage of people with hypochondroplasia have mild to moderate mental retardation or learning disabilities, but other studies have produced conflicting results.

Back in February 07' , Rob and I thought it was kind of funny that Evan's 12 month pants still fit him (only tighter). He was going to be 2 in a few months. We remembered that Jared kind of had short legs for awhile, but he grew into them, so we brushed this thought about Evan aside--kind of...Something still didn't seem "right" so I googled "short legs children" and remember reading a few things about dwarfism, but completely skipped past it. Evan wasn't a dwarf. I would know if my son was a dwarf! The show Little People Big World was becoming popular and I would say that Evan was our Little Person as a "joke"--I was ignorant! It continued to bother me a bit, though (not in the keep me up at night kind of way), so I brought it up at his 2 year wcc. She didn't seem too concerned, but sent us to get x-rays because she did notice that he was a bit disproportionate. Dr. was more concerned about his speech and his ear infection and his breathing treatments. We walked out of that office with 5 Dr. papers! X-rays were first on the list. Rob took him the next morning. You know it's really something when the Dr calls you back a few hours later on your cell phone.

Dr. proceeded to tell me what the radiologists saw(notice the plural, 5 of them looked at the x-rays--this was new to them, too)--all I remember in the big blur of it all were the few big words she said--achondroplasia and hypochondroplasia and that the first didn't seem to fit but the latter needed further testing. You know what my response was? "Okay, thanks." WHHHAAATTT? I tried to call Rob (he wasn't available...grrrr), when it clicked. It finally hit me what those words were--I'd read them during my google search. Was my son really a dwarf?? I called my mom--she wasn't home. I called a friend--she wasn't home. Called another one and cried my eyes out to her (thanks, Lia). I turned to the computer and did all the research I could. We were sad for the first few days--all I could think about was how Evan would be "different" and how I didn't want my son to have to go through life that way. Would his possibilities be limited, would he be teased, would anyone want to date him, would he have typical childhood experiences or would he be left behind because he looked different...?? The questions just spun in my head.

It only took a few days to snap out of it. We gave ourselves that time to "grieve." Evan wasn't any different then he was the day before we found out and he would only become what we allowed him to become. We had plenty of time to let it all sink in. It took another 6 months to be able to see the genetic counselor at Children's in D.C. and then another 4 weeks to get the blood test results back confirming that he did indeed have hypochondroplasia. I was so relieved when they told us--I felt silly feeling that way, but I think I would have been devastated if it had come back normal. We had accepted it and I didn't want to go back to square one.

This is the first picture we saw (no longer available) that cemented this reality in my head. When I saw the pic of this little girl, I realized that that is how Evan is shaped...Then I looked at this picture (no longer available) and I thought hmmm...Evan's face does look a lot like that. Dr. Zand gave us some great info on hypo (that's what you call his form of dwarfism, if you're "up" on the lingo) and she spent an hour with me on the phone after we got his results back--answering all my concerns and questions. I'm looking forward to our visit at the skeletal dyspasia clinic in D.C. this coming March to find out our next steps and what to expect in the future(Evan will have yearly visits there).

Basically, Evan will be short. He will be healthy. We don't know how tall he'll be--there is no way to tell. He will fall off of the AH (average height) growth charts--he was diagnosed early. The Drs. said I have an observant eye for catching it--how could I not, I'm his mother--I still don't get that. He could have leg bowing, he may not. His speech delay could relate to this, but it may not. His plethora of sweat and his breathing problems are related to this--but no biggy. There is a 50% likelihood that his children will have hypo, and even greater if he marries another LP. You don't qualify for special education services because you'll be short, mais cava, c'est la vie! Evan may want to join LPA (Little People of America) when he is older, if he feels like he needs that connection with others like him. We'll let him and we'll go to the conventions, too, just like on the show. We'll let him play soccer, too, with DAAA or whatever sport he wants to play(except gymnastics--bar/ring swinging not allowed). He'll still have to do chores, get in the car on his own, participate in our family adventures, sleep on the top bunk when he's old enough. Hopefully, he'll be tall enough to ride on the Tower of Terror--I don't want him to miss out on those kinds of things. Sometimes I still get sad when I think about that--missing out because you don't meet a height requirement, lame. I have a lot of hopes for him...

I do get bothered when people comment on his appearance (i.e. he looks like an elf, cartoon character,...or even just that second glance at him because something about him looks different), but I'm learning that it is never intended to be hurtful. They just don't know. And if they did, I'm sure they wouldn't have said it. And if they still do, then that will be something different because mothers love their children no matter what, and I'll knock their teeth out! Really, I will...

We love our little Evan. I think he's adorable and dwarfism makes him even more so (he'll be cuter even longer--you know how boys lose that cute factor as they get older). I couldn't imagine him any other way!

My Brown Eyed Girl

I finally finished Anna's dress! Marlene came over and helped me with the zipper--all I can say is thank goodness the fabric is busy and thank goodness it'll probably be cold and she can wear a sweater! But for my first zipper--it's not too shabby!

I saw this bow on e-bay and thought it would be cute for V-day, but no way was I going to pay for it! I came up with my own creation to go with Anna's new dress. She modeled for me and I got some cute pics! I've been having fun playing around with this Slide program, too--my plug to them, it's all free!
P.S. This morning, Anna pulled herself up for the first time. She was still in her crib and she was not happy! Time to lower the crib bar!

Things that made me happy!

The past two days sucked! But I finally pulled out of the funk yesterday. Here's what helped!

1. Oprah--Lately I've found her show to be BORING, but today there was a segment on pop culture that was fun. I love Unwrapped on the Food Network with Marc Summers--knowing stupid facts about food and candy...how cool is that! Did you know that hot dogs were origionally given in a glove, but people kept walking off with the glove, so they created the open split bun to hold the dog! And I can't wait to go back to NYC and visit this scrumtious place.
All this candy looks fabulous--the kids and my candy lovin' husband will just eat this up! The director of the Smithsonian also brought Dorothy's ruby slippers and he said the American History museum will be re-opening this year (why so hush hush about the date, though). This is my favorite D.C. museum and I've been missing it!

2. Denise--check out her crazy story at beattysix.blogspot.com if you want a good laugh! Thanks, again, Denise for sharing!

3. My Husband came home early from work and told me to leave the house without any of the kids! Yahoo! Rob, you're awesome!

4. Taco Salad--I must have been hungry, but it's never tasted better! Lettuce, chili, cheese, tomato, green onion, salsa, a few corn chips for crunch, and some ranch. Normally I would have put on my new favorite dressing (Cilantro Vinegarette from Trader Joes--Cafe Rio-ish, but not quite as yummy) but I'm all out!

5. AI--I don't know why I still watch this show, last nights episode was a snoozer, but they did play a They Might Be Giants song and how could that not put a smile on my face! Did you know they do music for Disney now? Everyonce in awhile I'll hear them on the TV--weird, in a good way--a little birdhouse in my kids soul can't be that bad of a thing!

6. I took a huge nap (2 1/2 hours)--how in the world can you do that with kids, you ask? I haven't figured that one out yet--it all just worked out! Thanks, Evan and Anna!

Such simple things--that's all it took! What simple things put a smile on your face today?

Here's what did it for me today: Thanks for sharing this Sarah! I LOVE IT! I'm gonna buy it over nap time for Anna's 1st birthday (she doesn't care what she gets)! It'll look perfect in her bedroom. I already have an "I love you to the moon and back" sign in her room and now this...I'll start a collection! "I love you to Baja Fresh and back," "I love you to the mall and back," etc...Check out their other cute Paris things. I'm going to try and make the Fleur de lis with the pink background!

Sisters...I promised this was coming!

I've been thinking a lot about the different "phases" in my life (H.S., Ricks year one, year two, BYU pre-mission, mission, BYU post mission, ...). My sisters and church girl friends is what I cherish most from the high school days. Remember when we'd hang up the black blanket on our bedroom wall and "model"--Did we do this every Sunday??

And why did we only do this at our house? We never did this at Caroline's, Bowden's or Henrichsen's. And it's not like we had the best clothes (giggle, giggle)..check out those dresses, girls and I don't think my pants can get any higher! (Ali, double click on the pic to see the gory details)


We need to get a new picture of us together! I love you gals, like a caramel apple and a large glass of milk! Thanks for being the best sisters ever!

Who would have thought that this little box would have brought me to tears????

Well, it did! On Sunday, Marlene came up to me in the hallway at church and handed it to me. Immediately the tears started welling up...why you ask? It was the first physical thing telling me that my baby will soon be turning eight! His first cub scout activity will be the Blue and Gold/Pinewood Derby. I remember going to the Blue and Gold Banquet when my brothers were in scouts--I could have cared less about it. All I know is that we ate spaghetti. I probably should start caring now, though. I am kind of excited for him to start--I like helping my kids with activities, goals, learning new things,...It's right up my alley (oh wait, I'm not supposed to take over--it's for him?!? Darn!). I hope to one day have a cub calling (hon, this is not a plea for a new calling, so don't get any wise ideas)--I'm sure I will with three boys. No rush!

Back to the whole tears thing...I can guarantee that there will be plenty more to come in the next few weeks. Eight is that first milestone age for us LDSers. It makes me think of where we were as a family eight years ago and where we are now. I remember driving home from the hospital after he was born in a big snowstorm (Rob has never driven so cautiously in his life) and feeling so overwhelmed with the enormous responsibility lying ahead of us. Yet, feeling this intense love that I had never experienced before. Well, we made it...He's not my "baby" anymore (sometimes I'll try and pick him up and cradle him in my lap--he doesn't like that), but I am so proud of him and who he is becoming. And I look forward to all the other "firsts" that we'll experience together!

The Kunz Family has never looked more yummy!

We're getting ready for our trip to Yellowstone! Although, we just started reading the Book of Mormon this year, we're excited for the possibilities!You can do this, too, at http://becomeanmm.com

The boys cannot decide which looks like more fun--The Grand Canyon or Yellowstone. They've watched specials on both places and still can't come to a conclusion. I think they would love both but there seems to be more to do (for their age) at Yellowstone. If we go to the Grand Canyon, I want to (and so do they) ride a mule to the bottom or hike to the bottom and ride the rapids--all of which we could not do with little ones in tow!

We're planning a trip to Utah this summer and one of these places will be our "side trip." Well, only if we speed read our way through! If we only read a chapter a day, we'll never make it--and I don't think the kids can handle more then that. Maybe Chuck E. Cheese will be the reward and we'll just go to Yellowstone! I'm liking that better...
P.S. The boys came up with the "reward" choices on their own. I love that Chuck E. Cheese and Yellowstone are equal incentives in their eyes!

Tag Your It! I love Rob!

This is all about Rob day! I love you, hon!

What’s his name? Robert Garth Cleverly Kunz (if you want the details!)

How long have you been together? 1998 (10 years!!!)

How long did you date? started dating Feb 1998, broke up in April 1998, engaged July 1998, married Dec. 19th 1998 (or was it the 18th ;) ).

How old is he? almost 32 (April 14th)

Who eats more? We both can hold our own on this one!

Who said I love you first? So sad, I don't remember. All I know is that I had to pathetically chase him back (I'm not a chaser) because I realized I did love him, in that forever kind of way!

Who is taller? Rob--he's 6' (or 5' 12", as I like to say). I'm only 5'5".

Who is smarter? This one is easy--Rob is in most areas. I like to think that I have more common sense then he does, though. And if that sounds mean, it wasn't intended to be mean. Maybe "common sense", aren't the right words...

Who does laundry? I usually get it started, but Rob seems to do a lot of the folding. He leaves the socks for me because he can't figure that part out ("they all look the same") and I go through the clothes to make sure my shirts aren't hanging up in Tyler's closet, etc...I don't complain, though because I appreciate so much his help. I HATE LAUNDRY!

Who does the dishes? The kids rotate that with both of our assistance.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do. Sometimes we try to change sides for something different, but it never last long--maybe 5 minutes!

Who pays the bills? Usually Rob does, but occassionally I'll suprise him! And I always stay up-to-date with what is going on with them!

Who mows the lawn? Rob--he's good at it and loves finally having a real lawn to mow!

Who cooks dinner? I do. Rob helps out, though. He's really good at mac and cheese and he teaches the boys how to make it in the process.

Who drives when you are together? Rob does. When I drive and the kids are whining/fighting/crying/being kids, it drives me crazy and Rob doesn't handle it the way I'd like, so he drives and I handle it my way (spankings for all...Just Kidding)!

Who is more stubborn? Easy...I am. My way or the highway!

Who kissed who first? Surpisingly, Rob did. Why is this surprising? Is it TMI to say I didn't get the nickname "31 flavors and then some" for no reason!

Who asked out who first? Dating, what's that? Rob asked me out first (it was after we kissed, though). We saw the Wedding Singer!

Who proposed? Rob proposed at Ensign Peak in Salt Lake. It was raining. It was cheesy. It was awesome!

Who has more siblings? I do. I have a Brady Bunch family (4 his, 3 hers--but who's counting, 2 halfs, also). Rob has 5 siblings.

Who wears the pants in the family? No pause...ME! ME! ME! (Rob may disagree, but I think others will agree).

We're singing "The Pacifier Blues"

I know, I know...he shouldn't even have a pacifier still in the first place. The rule is "only at bedtime" (exceptions include illness and long trips). We've learned our lesson, so no judging! Here's how it all went down!

On Friday afternoon: So much whining on Evan's part, to the point of driving me nuts (he was getting over a stomach bug). "Hey, Evan, if you throw you're pacifier away, I'll buy you a toy." "Okay" and he immediately threw it away. Knowing me, I dug in the trash and cut the pacifier when Evan wasn't looking, so I wouldn't be tempted to give it back to him later. We took him to the store and rewarded him with toys for being such a "big boy." Fast forward to bedtime...lots of praises, reassurance that he would be just fine, kisses and loves. He was NOT fine! Tears to the point of puking (gross, blah), and the tears weren't only on his part. I held him in his little bed and cried. I felt awful. I was taking away something important to him. So, I dug through the trash and retrieved the cut pacifier and gave it back to him (after a nice scrub, of course). He still cried because it wasn't working, but would not let go of it. Finally, he decided that a broken pacey was better then no pacey and he fell asleep.

In the morning, I turned to my trusted friend, Google, and searched "pacifier weaning" and came to this conclusion, screw it--I'm buying him a new pacifier! Some "experts" say it is okay as a comfort tool (NOTE: justification to self) and I'm going with that! Now we keep it up high in his room, he only gets it while sleeping and we'll let him decide when he is ready to give it up. I'm sure it will come to the point when we'll need to intervene--I promise he will not still be using his pacey when he goes to Kindergarden!

Lessons learned:

All children are different. Tyler stopped sucking his thumb when he turned 4. He can occassionally be seen sleeping with his blankey (shhh..don't tell him I saw him doing that). Jared had no problems getting rid of his pacey. And Evan loves his (almost as much as his Gaggy, we've now learned).

Anna's pacifier will go before she turns one and has the opportunity to attach herself to it.

I will not judge others for the parenting choices they make. We do what's best for our family, they do what's best for theirs.

Give rewards after they've earned them! We typically do this, but we jumped the gun on this one!

More projects...

I haven't been too pleased with the art program at the boys school, so I took matters into my own hands. Jared was home sick, so we had "art lessons". We learned about textures and collages. Jared, Evan and I painted using brushes forks, fingers, etc...Tyler helped me cut out the shapes (an idea from an art book) and they each made their own collage (I helped Evan). I loved that they didn't make their art look just like the example in the book. Next, we're going to use oil pastels and watercolors to make lizards! Can't wait!


Yesterday, started as my "I'm not doing anything" day. I knew it was going to be a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day"! But something sparked in me and all of a sudden it turned into an "I'm crazy, going to paint the entire family room, with tall walls, and three kids at home" kind of day. And you though I was off my rocker before...By the time Rob came home all I had left were the very tallest areas and the areas behind furniture that I couldn't move (and touch up). Rob was a trooper. The past three weeks of work craziness wrapped up yesterday and I know all he wanted to do was rest, but he came home, took the kids outside to play in the snow, made dinner, took some Excedrin and helped me finish up. Thanks, Rob--he's always there to rescue me when I get pooped from my crazy projects! All that's left to do is finish around the ceiling--we need a TALL ladder to finish that job! And now it's off to make the curtains--who thinks I'll have them finished today? Probably not...my kids need some attention!

Family projects

I decided to make Anna a dress (isn't that what you're supposed to do when you have little girls?)--what was I thinking!!??!! The bloomers were easy, but the sleeves on the dress were a pain in my *****! However, I think it turned out. I still haven't put the zipper in--I'm scared--I need someone to baby step me through it. Any volunteers? Check in with me to see if I actually finish it!



Trying to get Anna to crawl has been a family project! I tried to prolong this for as long as I could. The boys are learning that they cannot leave little things on the floor anymore because like a typical baby, she notices any and every teeny tiny thing. And away she goes...



This has been a project we've been thinking about doing for years. This table was the one my parents had when I was growing up (the only table large enough to fit the entire family). It was in need of some sparkle. Thanks to Jared, we finally were motivated to do it. Jared drew a beautiful Great White shark on it with pen--I made him sand it off as a consequence, but didn't want it to look that way forever, so I finished the sanding. Rob took over on the staining. We finished over the Christmas break. We thought staining the origional chairs and benches would be too much, so we bought new ones. I changed the chandelier from ugly brass to an iron rod look (with spray paint), painted the room, made some curtains, in the process of recovering the chairs and bought a buffet/dresser for some extra storage and voila--the finished product!

MY FAVORITE CHILD IS...

Anna and Evan

Tyler and Jared

So, the other night we were out to dinner with some friends who are going from being the parents of one to the parents of three. In all honesty, our friends asked, "Do you have a favorite child?" They were asking because they're concerned about favoring their first born. And I was honest, "Yes, I have a favorite child!" I'm such an awful mother!

ANNA is my favorite to cuddle and coddle. She's the only one who will let me pick out her clothes (without complaining). She is definetly my favorite child to dress--honestly, though, boys were getting boring to dress (dinosaurs, sharks and Cars, blah...). Anna is my favorite --it would be hard to top her!

EVAN is my favorite child to baby--I know, I know... He is so darn cute, I don't want him to grow up! Just because he's going to be short, doesn't mean he's still a baby, so I need to get past this, for his sake! Evan is always my favorite for a good laugh. I'll just ask him to do tricks because I think he's funny (Alec is right, he's just like a puppy)! Yep, Evan is my favorite!

JARED is my favorite to spend one on one time with. He is so pleasant to be around when he doesn't have the menacing influence of his older brother with him! It's hard to believe that not too long ago, he was my "hard" child. And, oh, he is so sweet (and spicy, but I'm not writing about that now). Jared is, definetly, my favorite!

TYLER is my favorite child to just talk to. He is always thinking and always has something to say. He is interested in so many things, that the conversation is never lacking. And he is my first born...he'll always hold a special place in my heart that can never be replaced. So, looks like Tyler is my favorite, too!

Luckily for me, I'm a mother, which entitles me to more than one favorite!

Check out my Slide Show!

Growing Pains

I was reading a Q&A in a magazine about "growing pains"...When I was younger I used to get them all the time. My Dad still teases me about them. I remember how painful my legs would feel. The pain would wake me from my sleep and my legs would just throb! And nobody seemed to care!

Well guess what--These pains aren't even related to growing! Instead "they" believe that they're related to "a lower pain threshold, overuse, mental stress, flat feet, or loose joints." So pretty much, I'm a wimp! I am very sensitive to pain. I seem to notice every little twinge or prick on my body. I don't run to the Dr. for them, but I feel them.

Jared also gets these same nighttime leg pains and his Dr. told me to take them seriously because the pain is real. I felt justified in my own pains when she said that. So, I'll do as my parents did, give him some Tylenol, pat him on the back, and send him back to bed. After all, they're just "growing pains."

How are my children like me???

I hear way too often how my kids look just like Rob, that they all come out of the same Kunz mold...I'm glad my children look like my husband, but I never hear that they look like me! I think the only thing they've inherited from me is the gross production of ear wax! So, how are my children like me? hmmm....

Tyler has dark brown eyes like me and I think we have a similar smile. He's also lucky enough to have the Italian Chiapelli skin tone that I have--very few sunburns. Tyler enjoys reading and learning by reading. He has a natural artisic ability which I hope he uses. Tyler is a skeptic--he questions everything and doesn't believe something until he's ready to believe it. He's also a perfectionist like his mom and gets upset when he can't do something the "right" way. He is a typical oldest child, as I am, too. And right now, we are the same size (8/10 women and 8/10 boys).

Jared, as of yet, has no physical characteristics like mine. Physically, he is completely opposite. Oh, minus the widows peak--we both have one of those! Jared is stubborn--it is his way or the highway! I wonder who else is like that??!! When he is upset, it is usually because we don't understand his side, we aren't seeing it from his view. He likes to do yoga (for now) and Jared loves babies just like his Mom does. He's always willing to give a hug or cuddle. Jared is also NOT a morning person--in that sense, we are the same!

Evan looks more like Jared so that means he doesn't look anything like me. How are we alike then? When I asked the older boys how Evan and I are alike, they said we both cry (and whine!). Evan likes to eat cereal--he'd eat it all day if he could! I'd live off of cereal if my family wouldn't object. Evan has a taste for fine cheeses and quality chocolate--he just hasn't learned yet about "all good things in moderation!" I' m sure as Evan gets older I will see more of me in his personality.

Anna probably looks most like me then any of the kids. My mom says she has the same nose as I did when I was a baby. Her eye color and skin tone are like mine. And right now she is what I'm molding her to be (everything I never was)--a pretty poofy princess with a plethera of shoes and clothes! I hope that she will enjoy art and reading, learning and shopping. I've always enjoyed these things, but never excelled in them. As for now, we will share our common interests of sleeping and eating!

I'm sure as my children get older our similarities will show and our difference will be loudly pronounced by them. They may not look like me but they are definetly mine!